- Email: [email protected]
Fuel Cells 2014 Science & Technology – A Grove Fuel Cell Event
NEWS for E-Plus. ‘With the insights gathered we were able to optimise the energy supply of the site, so that we can expect even higher cost savings and lower power consumption in the long term.’ He says that the data should help with planning additional locations. The mobile base station produces the required electric power onsite through photovoltaic, wind power, and a fuel cell, with no external power supply. The heart of this hybrid solution is the Heliocentris Energy Manager, which controls the energy sources and facilitates full remote maintenance of the site. This includes monitoring the power generation modules and the battery state of charge, to ensure autonomous power supply at all times. The fuel cell serves as the backup power supply, instead of a diesel generator. ‘For more than one year the solutions of Heliocentris are successful in productive use at over 1000 off-grid locations in different climate zones, and met the high expectations of the telecommunications companies in terms of energy savings and reliability,’ says Dr Henrik Colell, CTO of Heliocentris. ‘More energyautonomous base stations at various locations in Germany are being planned, and we expect further projects.’ Heliocentris Energy Solutions AG, Berlin, Germany. Tel: +49 30 340 601500, www.heliocentris.com NOW GmbH: www.now-gmbh.de/en
German police digital radio system to use fuel cell technology
T
he German federal ministry of transport and digital infrastructure (BMVI) is promoting a major project to secure power supplies for digital radio systems operated by public safety authorities and organisations (collectively known as BOS) in the state of Brandenburg. More than 100 fuel cells will be trialed under real-life conditions, to provide emergency power to the world’s largest digital radio communications network, used by police and fire services and other agencies. This is the sector’s largest project to date, with a total value of E6.6 million (US$9.2 million). BMVI is providing E3.2 million ($4.4 million) in funding through the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology National Innovation Programme (NIP), according to Clean Power Net (CPN), a representative consortium of 23 companies and institutions in the fuel cell sector [FCB, January 2014, p11]. CPN says that the contract for 116 fuel cells was awarded
March 2014
by Brandenburg’s public safety digital radio project coordination group (Projektorganisation Digitalfunk BOS Brandenburg). The fuel cells are to be used as emergency power systems for base stations belonging to the BOS digital radio network. The project aims to field-test fuel cells as uninterruptible (emergency) power supplies in critical infrastructures that need to meet the particularly high demands of the public safety radio network. Part of the contract has been awarded to FutureE Fuel Cell Solutions, a leading provider of systems for the telecom industry, and its partner adKor GmbH, a mobile communications technical service and maintenance provider. The partners will install 4 kW versions of the Jupiter hydrogen PEM fuel cell system at 53 Digitalfunk BOS Brandenburg base station locations, inside Class 4 outdoor housings. With 500 000 users, Germany’s BOS digital radio communications network is considered to be the largest of its kind in the world. Among the advantages of public safety digital radio communications is improved voice and reception quality. The network is used by all public safety authorities and organisations, including federal and state police services, fire services, rescue services, the federal agency for technical relief (THW), and the customs authorities. This grant-funded project, which is being steered by NOW GmbH, will enable Brandenburg to play a pioneering role in the adoption of alternative technologies – rather than conventional diesel generators – as emergency power systems in the public safety communications sector [see the NOW feature on fuel cells in telecoms in FCB, August 2012, and also the E-Plus mobile base station news item on page 4 of this issue]. Clean Power Net, Project Manager: Wolfgang Axthammer, NOW GmbH, Berlin, Germany. Tel: +49 30 3116 11620, Email: kontakt@ cleanpowernet.de, Web: www.cleanpowernet.de NOW GmbH: www.now-gmbh.de/en Digitalfunk BOS Brandenburg: www.digitalfunk-brandenburg.de (in German) FutureE Fuel Cell Solutions GmbH, Wendlingen, Germany. Tel: +49 7024 466080, www.future-e.de/en adKor GmbH: www.adkor.de
Fuel Cell Systems helps BBC get wildlife TV images in Scotland
I
n the UK, Berkshire-based Fuel Cell Systems Ltd (FCS) provided direct methanol fuel cell technology that
Fuel Cells 2014 Science & Technology – A Grove Fuel Cell Event 3–4 April 2014, Amsterdam, Netherlands The Fuel Cells 2014 Science & Technology Conference will take place at the NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel in the Dutch capital, where this series of biennial research-oriented conferences kicked off in 2002. The event is organised by Elsevier in collaboration with the Grove Steering Committee. Thousands of fuel cells are being produced annually and sold commercially in a wide range of applications, but continued research – both fundamental and applied – will be essential to help reduce production costs and increase durability. Fuel Cells 2014 Science & Technology will bring together leading researchers and technologists, working in critical areas such as new materials, degradation processes and systems engineering, to discuss the state-of-the-art, highlight new developments, and propose research priorities. The conference will feature oral presentations in the form of plenaries, keynotes and submitted papers, as well as an extensive poster programme. Conference programme The conference opens on Thursday 3 April with a plenary presentation by Bert De Colvenaer, Executive Director of the European Fuel Cells & Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). He will then present the 2014 Grove Medal to Professor David Wilkinson of the University of British Columbia in Canada, in recognition of his long career and many contributions to fuel cell research, who will give a presentation on his work. The rest of the morning will see plenary talks by Dr Mascha Smit, Team Leader R&D at Nedstack in the Netherlands, Niels Christiansen, Chief Innovation Officer at Topsoe Fuel Cell in Denmark, and Dr Balsu Lakshmanan, Lab Group Manager at General Motors in the US. The parallel technical sessions in the afternoon cover PEMFC at cell/ component level, and SOFC at cell/component level. Poster viewing will run through the day, with poster presentations in the late afternoon. On Friday 4 April the conference reconvenes with a plenary talk by Dr Nancy L. Garland, Technology Development Manager for the US Department of Energy. The rest of the morning is taken up with parallel sessions on PEMFC electrocatalysis, and on novel fuels and electrolytes. The afternoon has parallel sessions on modelling & control, and on systems & applications. The conference is wrapped up with the Award of Poster Prizes, and presentation of the Conclusions from the Symposium. Website: www.fuelcelladvances.com
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5
German police digital radio system to use fuel cell technology
T
he German federal ministry of transport and digital infrastructure (BMVI) is promoting a major project to secure power supplies for digital radio systems operated by public safety authorities and organisations (collectively known as BOS) in the state of Brandenburg. More than 100 fuel cells will be trialed under real-life conditions, to provide emergency power to the world’s largest digital radio communications network, used by police and fire services and other agencies. This is the sector’s largest project to date, with a total value of E6.6 million (US$9.2 million). BMVI is providing E3.2 million ($4.4 million) in funding through the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology National Innovation Programme (NIP), according to Clean Power Net (CPN), a representative consortium of 23 companies and institutions in the fuel cell sector [FCB, January 2014, p11]. CPN says that the contract for 116 fuel cells was awarded
March 2014
by Brandenburg’s public safety digital radio project coordination group (Projektorganisation Digitalfunk BOS Brandenburg). The fuel cells are to be used as emergency power systems for base stations belonging to the BOS digital radio network. The project aims to field-test fuel cells as uninterruptible (emergency) power supplies in critical infrastructures that need to meet the particularly high demands of the public safety radio network. Part of the contract has been awarded to FutureE Fuel Cell Solutions, a leading provider of systems for the telecom industry, and its partner adKor GmbH, a mobile communications technical service and maintenance provider. The partners will install 4 kW versions of the Jupiter hydrogen PEM fuel cell system at 53 Digitalfunk BOS Brandenburg base station locations, inside Class 4 outdoor housings. With 500 000 users, Germany’s BOS digital radio communications network is considered to be the largest of its kind in the world. Among the advantages of public safety digital radio communications is improved voice and reception quality. The network is used by all public safety authorities and organisations, including federal and state police services, fire services, rescue services, the federal agency for technical relief (THW), and the customs authorities. This grant-funded project, which is being steered by NOW GmbH, will enable Brandenburg to play a pioneering role in the adoption of alternative technologies – rather than conventional diesel generators – as emergency power systems in the public safety communications sector [see the NOW feature on fuel cells in telecoms in FCB, August 2012, and also the E-Plus mobile base station news item on page 4 of this issue]. Clean Power Net, Project Manager: Wolfgang Axthammer, NOW GmbH, Berlin, Germany. Tel: +49 30 3116 11620, Email: kontakt@ cleanpowernet.de, Web: www.cleanpowernet.de NOW GmbH: www.now-gmbh.de/en Digitalfunk BOS Brandenburg: www.digitalfunk-brandenburg.de (in German) FutureE Fuel Cell Solutions GmbH, Wendlingen, Germany. Tel: +49 7024 466080, www.future-e.de/en adKor GmbH: www.adkor.de
Fuel Cell Systems helps BBC get wildlife TV images in Scotland
I
n the UK, Berkshire-based Fuel Cell Systems Ltd (FCS) provided direct methanol fuel cell technology that
Fuel Cells 2014 Science & Technology – A Grove Fuel Cell Event 3–4 April 2014, Amsterdam, Netherlands The Fuel Cells 2014 Science & Technology Conference will take place at the NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel in the Dutch capital, where this series of biennial research-oriented conferences kicked off in 2002. The event is organised by Elsevier in collaboration with the Grove Steering Committee. Thousands of fuel cells are being produced annually and sold commercially in a wide range of applications, but continued research – both fundamental and applied – will be essential to help reduce production costs and increase durability. Fuel Cells 2014 Science & Technology will bring together leading researchers and technologists, working in critical areas such as new materials, degradation processes and systems engineering, to discuss the state-of-the-art, highlight new developments, and propose research priorities. The conference will feature oral presentations in the form of plenaries, keynotes and submitted papers, as well as an extensive poster programme. Conference programme The conference opens on Thursday 3 April with a plenary presentation by Bert De Colvenaer, Executive Director of the European Fuel Cells & Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU). He will then present the 2014 Grove Medal to Professor David Wilkinson of the University of British Columbia in Canada, in recognition of his long career and many contributions to fuel cell research, who will give a presentation on his work. The rest of the morning will see plenary talks by Dr Mascha Smit, Team Leader R&D at Nedstack in the Netherlands, Niels Christiansen, Chief Innovation Officer at Topsoe Fuel Cell in Denmark, and Dr Balsu Lakshmanan, Lab Group Manager at General Motors in the US. The parallel technical sessions in the afternoon cover PEMFC at cell/ component level, and SOFC at cell/component level. Poster viewing will run through the day, with poster presentations in the late afternoon. On Friday 4 April the conference reconvenes with a plenary talk by Dr Nancy L. Garland, Technology Development Manager for the US Department of Energy. The rest of the morning is taken up with parallel sessions on PEMFC electrocatalysis, and on novel fuels and electrolytes. The afternoon has parallel sessions on modelling & control, and on systems & applications. The conference is wrapped up with the Award of Poster Prizes, and presentation of the Conclusions from the Symposium. Website: www.fuelcelladvances.com
Fuel Cells Bulletin
5